The conventional progressive wisdom is that the Trump Administration will be bad for cities and for transit users. But in recent decades, a unified Republican government has been better for public transit than a divided government.

An efficient and equitable transport system must be diverse to serve diverse travel demands. Planners need better tools to quantify and communicate the benefits of walking, cycling and public transit to sometimes skeptical decision makers.

Urban Metabolism for the Urban Century

Yale University - Journal of Industrial Ecology

Yale Journal Advances Understanding of Sustainability of Cities

Like organisms, cities need energy, water, and nutrients, and they need to dispose of wastes and byproducts in ways that are viable and sustainable over the long run. This notion of “urban metabolism” is a model for looking systematically at the resources that flow into cities and the wastes and emissions that flow out from them—to understand the environmental impacts of cities and to highlight opportunities for efficiencies, improvements, and transformation.

Yale University’s Journal of Industrial Ecologyis pleased to announce a special issue onSustainable Urban Systemsthat focuses on the integration of engineered infrastructures, people, and natural systems in the pursuit of environmentally sustainable cities. Already more than half the world's people—and 80% of those in developed nations—live in urban areas, and reducing the environmental impact of these expanding cities is one of the greatest challenges facing society in the coming decades. At the same time, cities present crucial opportunities for the efficient use of resources and low impact ways of life.

“This is the urban century,” said Sir Peter Crane, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, “and the integrative perspective this issue provides is essential for the study of sustainable urban systems.”

This special issue examines topics such as the contribution of cities to global warming, opportunities for better management of waste electronics and storm water, and the use and fate of phosphorus—a resource that is both potentially scarce and polluting. The special issue presents research on 11 cities around the world including New York City, Delhi, Denver, Melbourne and London.

Chris Kennedy of the University of Toronto (Canada), Anu Ramaswami and Larry Baker of the University of Minnesota (USA), and Shobhakar Dhakal of the Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand) served as co-editors of the special issue.

Planning: A professional practice and an academic study focused on the future of built environments and connected natural environments—from the smallest towns to the largest cities and everything in between.

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